War is an ugly thing. People die in war, and they aren't always soldiers. Osama bin-Laden declared a holy war on the United States of America. We all know what President Bush said regarding the "No distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them". Stop and think about that. If my brother kills a man, and I KNOW it, before it happened or not, and I don't "turn him in" for lack of a better phrase, then I am just as guilty as he. Because I have condoned his actions by my inaction.
***IF*** Osama bin-Laden is responsible for this atrocity, it is just his first step in bringing his holy war to America. It has been said here and there that this attack was not "terrorism" but retaliation to acts America has commited in the Middle-East. So be it. I am no expert on foreign affairs, and I honestly don't know what grievances some Middle-East countries may have against us. That is my fault, for not paying closer attention to what my country does. But, I DO know that if the foreign response (by a country or an individual) is the act of war that we saw two days ago, then war it shall be.
War has been declared on our country by the actions we've seen over the course of the past several years. Our next step is to identify precisely who our enemies are, find them, and kill them. I don't say that lightly. War means death. It has become blatantly obvious to even the most obtuse Americans that our faceless enemies are willing to die for their cause. So are we. They are willing to kill for their cause. So are we. Which cause is right? I can't rightly say. We are all "the bad guys" to somebody else. But I can't put enough emphasis on this: Wars are won by killing the enemy. Killing them until they are all dead, or killing them until those that are left surrender unequivocally and unconditionally. Killing them until they can't kill us. Call it heartless or call it cold-blooded, but don't you dare call it blood-thirsty or reactionary.
Is American foreign policy to blame for this? It may very well be. I don't know, and I don't care. I said I don't know which cause is "right", but I know that MY country has been attacked time and time again. We are in a war whether we like it or not, declared not by us, but by our enemies. Whoever they are and when we find them, let's take the war to THEM. Reap the whirlwind.